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Gisele Bundchen, pictured above with Tom Brady, told her kids, "You have to let someone else win sometimes."
- Gisele Bundchen is a supermodel married to Tom Brady, the quarterback for the Patriots.
- Bundchen displayed a positive, supportive attitude after the Patriots lost the Super Bowl.
- Experts have said that supporting your partner during setbacks can be crucial for a strong relationship
Your spouse's attitude toward your job can make or break your career.
It looks like Tom Brady - the quarterback for the Patriots - has nothing to worry about. His wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, stayed positive after the Patriots lost Sunday's Super Bowl and Brady had a personal upset, missing a catch when he was the receiver in a trick play.
Bundchen posted on Instagram: "Congratulations Eagles for winning the Super bowl, what a game that was!" She went on to commend the Patriots for "giving their best" and Brady for investing so much time and effort "to become the best in what you do."
She even went so far as to personally congratulate every Eagles player she saw after the game, Yahoo's Dan Wetzel reported. "They looked star struck," Wetzel tweeted.
Bundchen also seized the opportunity to teach her kids a lesson in good sportsmanship.
According to USA Today, when their 5-year-old daughter Vivan realized the Eagles had won, Bundchen said: "Just this time. Daddy won five times. They never won before. Their whole life, they never won a Super Bowl. You have to let someone else win sometimes."
Bundchen's upbeat attitude after this Super Bowl marks a sharp departure from her remarks after the big game six years ago, when she was heard blaming the receivers for dropping passes: "My husband cannot f------ throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time."
Brady, however, has long seen his wife as a good influence on him. "She is the most positive and energetic person I have ever met," he told Vanity Fair in 2009. "She always looks at challenges as her greatest opportunities."
In fall 2017, Bundchen posted an Instagram photo of her with Brady's mother, Galynn, who has cancer: "So proud of this beautiful warrior! I love you so much sweet Galynn."
Bundchen's supportiveness recalls something Alexandra Solomon, a psychologist at Northwestern University, previously told Business Insider. The most important thing a long-term relationship needs in order to be successful, she said, is "two people who are able to competently handle all of the sh-- that hits the fan."
That is to say, you don't just want a partner who's there for you when things are going smoothly. You want someone to rely on when the going gets rough.
Perhaps Bundchen is learning from her reading, which Vanity Fair reported includes the teachings of Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Bundchen told Vanity Fair that her reading has helped give her a sense of inner peace. She said: "You have this kind of epiphany - I don't need to sweat the small stuff! Enjoy the journey, not the destination."